A Bishkek court on March 12 ordered eight of 11 reporters from the Temirov Live investigative group to pretrial detention until at least May 13 for allegedly calling for mass riots, a charge the journalists reject. Three journalists were transferred to house arrest. The reporters were detained on January 16. Temirov Live's founder, prominent investigative journalist Bolot Temirov, was deported to Moscow in November 2022 after a court ruled that he illegally obtained Kyrgyz citizenship, which he denies. Rights groups have condemned the detentions, calling them an attack on the free media. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
